A. Field
This invention relates to a boat hull, in particular a boat hull form or shape.
B. Related Background Information
In terms of marine engineering, boat hulls may be classified as “displacement” type, where the buoyancy of the boat is achieved fully through displacement of a corresponding weight of water, or “planing” of “semi-planing” hulls which, while supported by displacement of water at standstill or slow speeds, generate flotation by hydrodynamic forces acting on the hull at higher speeds such that the hull is supported to varying degrees on the bow wave. Thus planing hulls can reach higher speeds than displacement hulls with reasonable propulsion power demands due to reduced drag on the hull under planing conditions.
Displacement hulls have a theoretical hull speed that can be determined mathematically in a well-known manner depending on the length of the hull at the water line, and in general such speed can only be substantially exceeded by a hull without penalty of consumption of high power if the hull can be efficiently propelled at planing speed after being powered through a transition speed as the hull is driven through and over its bow wave. Displacement and planing hulls are thus typically designed to meet various but different specific objectives in terms of performance, speed, handling, load carrying ability, stability in various water conditions, etc. A hull that essentially is designed as a displacement type hull normally would not be expected to have characteristics of a planing hull, particularly in terms of speed vs. propulsion power, due to the drag characteristics of the wetted surface of a displacement hull and the fact that the displacement hull would not be optimized to achieve planing conditions with the power usually available in a displacement hull boat.